Makola Market
Historical background
Makola Market was constructed in Accra in 1924 and stood at the heart of the urban Ghanaian life. The market was the main wholesale and retail marketplace in Accra, the epicenter of trade in the country and one of the nation's most important social and cultural institutions.
On 18 August 1979, 55 years after its creation, Makola Market was destroyed. The Rawlings government that agreed on the demolition of the centre of trade in Ghana thought that devastating Makola would improve the economy. Indeed, there were accusations that various products considered banned in Ghana were being sold in the Makola Market. In this way, the market women were accused of Ghana's economic problems.
Makola Market was featured in the Travel Channel show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain in the Ghana episode. Bourdain walked through the market, where he sampled local wares and enjoyed a condensed milk-toffee drink made with local herbs.
Recent development
At the "Ghana at 60" anniversary celebration in 2017, African print retailers in Makola Market threatened to boycott the sale of the official cloth used during the celebration due to its huge cost. The cloth was being sold at a price of 240 cedis for 12 yards (11 m). The anniversary logo on the cloth featured three people in an embrace, which signified the unity in diversity of Ghanaians.
Controversies
In 2017 the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, stated that some traders had resorted to using formalin, a cancer-causing agent, to preserve salted tilapia, commonly known as "koobi". The sellers dismissed the claim, saying that they were shocked to hear it. They stated that since the story broke, their sales had been affected since many people refused to purchase it.
Gallery
-
Pots Section, Makola Market, Accra, Ghana
-
Street Outside Makola Market, Accra, Ghana
-
Snails, Makola Market, Accra, Ghana
-
Busy Street in Accra Central near Makola Market.
-
A woman selling water in Makola
References
- ^ Online, Peace FM. "Walking You Through Accra's Beautiful Attractions". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "allafrica.com".
- ^ "Welcome to Makola Market!" Accra Daily, 4 December 2007.
- ^ WorldBank. "World Bank Group - International Development, Poverty and Sustainability". www.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ^ Important social and cultural institution
- ^ "RAWLINGS DESTROYS MAKOLA". www.modernghana.com. modernghana.com. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ C., Robertson, Claire (1983). "The Death of Makola and Other Tragedies". Canadian Journal of African Studies. 17 (3).
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, retrieved 2017-08-17
- ^ "African print retailers to boycott anniversary cloth". 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
- ^ Boateng, Charles Andoh & Dennis Agyei. "Ghana news: 'Koobi' Sellers deny use of Formalin to preserve fish - Graphic Online". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
External links
Media related to Makola Market at Wikimedia Commons